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Bruce's Blog

This blog contains some of my spiritual thoughts. I have a firm conviction that what we know is not nearly as important as what we do about what we know. I believer relationships are the highest value on the planet. And I think God should be experienced in a relationship instead of just believed in. You will find that my thoughts reflect these convictions.

All in all, I hope that reading this will be helpful to you on your journey in Christian faith, but I think it is mostly here to help me on mine. Somehow the record of the steps behind me will give direction to the ones ahead.

Find out what I'm doing at epic

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4.26.2009

OK, still reflecting on something that Andy Stanley said and I don't want to forget. "There is a difference between certainty and clarity."

The implication is that just because circumstances are uncertain doesn't mean our purpose is unclear. When people challenge or question what we're doing and why, when additional options seem better or more convenient, when the things we are doing don't work, when the things we face are harder than we thought... we can feel uncertain about the results, the process, the participants, and even ourselves. BUT we can still be clear if we will return to the one thing that we started with: the thing that God called us to.

For epic there is one thing we are called to: equipping each other to become FULLY DEVOTED CHRIST-FOLLOWERS. That purpose is clear whether our methods work or not, whether our team stays the same or changes, whether today is a 'success' day or a 'failure' day, whether I feel like a hero or heel. I'm gonna press on toward that one clear thing.

I don't know if we're gonna make the budget or not. I don't know whose gonna do this, that, or the other. I don't know if... WELL, I don't know a lot of things. But I know we are going to keep doing whatever is put before us that helps us help each other live like Jesus calls us to live. We're gonna do it. THAT IS CLEAR!

Thanks Andy. This above nearly anything else I heard helps me today. Clarity and uncertainty can co-exist in a church and in a pastor: in me.

I don't think that this mission makes us unique. Unique is not what I am going for. I think this mission keeps us from straying into personally comfortable and enjoyable activities that can look missional, but be less than effective at the one thing. What makes us unique is our vision to draw thos who are either unchurched or who have decided that church doesn't work for them for one reason or another. That part of our calling dictates the approach we take in equipping each other to be fully devoted Christ followers. It is our approach to the mission that makes us unique. You will take not of the "each other". There is a hint of our uniqueness there.